


Rhythm of the Ocean

by freckleder



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Library, M/M, aquarium date, marine biologist!yamaguchi, written from Tsukki's and Yamaguchi's POV
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-13
Updated: 2016-02-13
Packaged: 2018-05-20 05:35:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5993446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/freckleder/pseuds/freckleder
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Yamaguchi goes to the library to get a book for university but ends up realizing that books might not be the only thing libraries had to offer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rhythm of the Ocean

**Author's Note:**

> This is written for the [ Haikyuu Valentine's Exchange ](http://haikyuuvalentineexchange.tumblr.com/)  
> My prompt was Tsukkiyama and I always had this idea of a library au at the back of my mind so I went with that. I tried to switch the POVs between Tsukki and Yamaguchi and gave my best to make it nice and include lots of fluff^^  
> I hope you like it and have a happy valentine's day!!

Tsukishima Kei glanced at his watch. Two more hours until his shift ended and they would close up the library. He carefully peeled the label off of some books and replaced them with new ones. It was a pastime when nothing else needed to be done. Huge amounts of snow had been falling that day and large icicles were hanging from the building’s roof and windows, so it was understandable that not many people made their way through the cold to the library.

Kei didn’t mind it. He liked working at the library either way. It was always quiet and the customers were more civilised compared to retail. Being surrounded by books was soothing and rarely left him irritated.

Kei was about to get a new batch of books when someone pushed the heavy door open, swinging it hard enough for it to slam against the wall. A loud bang went through the library and Kei wrinkled his nose at the noise.

In came a guy in his twenties, most of his face was still hidden beneath a beanie and a tightly wrapped scarf, but Kei spotted his panicked expression. He was covered in snow which he hadn’t bothered to shake off before coming in and he left a trail of wet footprints behind him. He walked up to the counter and Kei could see the freckles on his skin, nose and cheeks still red from the cold.

“How can I help you?” Kei asked, trying hard not to sound annoyed because he had to clean up the mess he had left.

“I’m looking for a book. Do I have to be registered here to borrow books?”

“Yes, but I can sign you up right now.” Kei handed him a registration form and a pen.  He added”, You can already take books with you today.”

The other guy removed his gloves and took off his beanie and scarf before starting to fill out the form. He handed it back to Kei who continued to sign-up process. _Yamaguchi Tadashi._ University student. 22 years old, which made him younger than Kei by two years.

“I need to make a copy of your student ID please.”

“Of course, I think I have it with me.” Yamaguchi rummaged through his backpack and started to pack even more things on the counter. He eventually found his wallet and passed the card on to Kei.

Five minutes later and Yamaguchi held a freshly printed card in his hands.

“Are you looking for some particular books?” Kei asked.

“Yes!”  Yamaguchi nodded vigorously. “Oh sorry, that was loud. I’m putting my stuff on the table over there first, if that’s okay? I don’t want to occupy the counter with all of this.”

“Sure.”  Kei watched Yamaguchi as he tried to take all of his belongings and carry them to the table in one go. He smiled at the attempt because with every step he took something seemed to fall.

Kei waited until he had picked up everything that was scattered on the floor. “So what is it that you’re looking for?”

Yamaguchi pulled a crumbled piece of paper out of his pocket. “The book is called _‘Coastal and Submarine Morphology’_. Do you need to author too?”

“No, I’ve already found it”, he said, typing on the pc. “Unfortunately we only have one copy of that book so you can’t borrow it. But you can use it here at the library.”

“So I just registered for nothing?”

“Seems like it. Sorry about that.”

Yamaguchi hopeful expression faltered and he sighed. “You can’t make an exception?”

“No, I’m sorry but I can’t do that, especially with more expensive books like this one.”

“Just my luck”, Yamaguchi murmured. “Do I have to get the books myself or do you bring it here.”

At a closer look Kei could see redness in his eyes and the dark circles underneath them. The freckles spread over his entire face, disappearing behind his bangs. His hair was wild and sticking up in every direction, probably caused by the beanie he had been wearing.

“You can get books yourself but since you’re not familiar with this library I can help you.” He didn’t have much to do so Kei was glad to have a bit of a distraction.

“Thank you, that would be great”, Yamaguchi smiled.

They walked past different sections, passing only a handful of people and one of Kei’s co-workers. Yamaguchi looked up and read the signs while they made their way deeper into the library. He was shorter than Kei, enough for him to see the top of his head, but he had to be taller than average if Kei had to guess.

“You can check which books we have available on our website. “ Kei said to break the silence. “Then you don’t have to come all the way here if we don’t offer the book you’re looking for.”

“Oh, I didn’t think of that. I was at our university’s library and all copies were already borrowed so I came here straight away. But I’m going to consider that in the future, thanks.” He gave Kei an appreciative smile.

“Is this book really that popular?”

“Right before an exam it is. I thought I’d manage without one but I need the book after all.”

“I can imagine that that must’ve been difficult. Here we are”, Kei said. He walked up to one of the shelves and, familiar with the library’s layout, found the book with ease. He handed it to Yamaguchi and his fingers brushed the back of his hand for a second. It was cold and red from the biting cold. “There’s a vending machine in the lobby, you can get coffee and tea there.”

“Oh, thanks.”

 

This library had been Tadashi’s last resort. He came here with low hopes of finding what he needed but to his surprise they carried the book he was looking for. Tadashi wasn’t too keen on the fact that he had to work directly at the library but that was the least of his worries at the moment.

He needed to learn all of this within one week. He thought he could manage without the book but many parts had been missing in the script he originally used.

Tadashi had his writing utensils sprawled out at the nearest table, a steaming hot cup of coffee from the vending machine in front of him while he began to skim through the book. His first goal was to get familiar with the material before he began to take notes. 

It was quiet, only the occasional footsteps echoed through the building and the turning of pages was to be heard. The library was old and had large windows. Tadashi glanced outside from time to time, watching the snowflakes whirl around, carried by the icy winter wind. He shuddered and clutched his coffee cup a bit tighter, the lingering feeling of numbness still on his fingertips.

Tadashi sighed and returned his focus back to the book. He didn’t know when the library was closing up but it had to be soon, he was running out of time.

The blond librarian behind the counter had glared at him when he came in, but he was being helpful when Tadashi talked to him. He wondered why he had scowled at him at first. His name tag said ‘Tsukishima K.’. He gave off a clean look with his short, curly hair and black glasses. He carried himself with a confidence that Tadashi couldn’t quite wrap his mind around.  

Tadashi didn’t realize that the sun had set a while ago, he was too engrossed in his work. Only when he heard footsteps next to him did he look up from his work.

“We are closing the library up in five minutes”, Tsukishima said. He held out his hand. “You can give me your book and I’ll return it for you.”

Tadashi looked around. The library was empty except for two other librarians who stacked the books that had been used throughout the day on a cart to return them to their respective places.

 “You don’t have to put it away completely, if that saves you some work time. I’ll be coming back tomorrow.”  

Tsukishima nodded. “Alright, thank you. Oh, I see you found the coffee machine.”

“I did, it wasn’t difficult to miss. Though I would debate whether this qualifies as coffee or not”, he laughed.

“I never promised _good_ coffee.” Tsukishima smiled for the first time. It was a small, gentle smile, only on his lips for a few seconds.

Tadashi nodded. He did have a point there.  Face hidden underneath his scarf and hat again he gave a quick wave to Tsukishima as he left, which he returned with a nod.

 

Kei wouldn’t admit he was waiting for Yamaguchi to come again the next day, but every time the door opened he glanced at it to see who had entered. They opened at 9am but two hours had passed and he hadn’t shown up.

“Tsukki, quit staring into space and help me here”, Kuroo shouted from the storage room. He held a large box over his head, trying hard not to let it crush him.

Kei shook his head in disbelief. “Why do you always try to lift those heavy things on your own?” He grabbed two corners and together they carried it to the cart. “Kenma isn’t here if your goal was to impress him. Next time get me right away.”

“Ohhh, is someone worried about me?” Kuroo grinned and leaned closer to Kei.

He shoved his face away. “Yeah right. Shouldn’t you be bringing this somewhere?”

Kuroo made a face and walked away, pushing the cart in front of him.

It was almost Kei’s lunch time when he spotted the freckled face of Yamaguchi at the door. He walked up to him, a polite smile on his lips.

“So you really did come back. I’ll get your book right away, I’ll be with you in a minute.” Kei had put the book in a box along with the ones the regulars always left behind. There was no reason to sort those back in if they would pick them up again the next day.

“You didn’t think I’d show up again?” Yamaguchi gave him a questioning look when he came back. He didn’t ask Kei reproachfully, there was something curious in his voice.

Kei shrugged. “Maybe. People often say that but then they forget or have better things to do.”

Yamaguchi gave him a defeated smile. “I wish I could afford that but for this week you’re stuck with me. Thanks for the book. “

He sat down at the same table as the day before, giving Kei a good view from the counter. Yamaguchi put his writing material on the desk and then he pulled something that looked like needles out of his pocket. Kei’s first guess would have been acupuncture which didn’t make any sense at all. A moment later Yamaguchi grabbed a section of his bangs and it was then that Kei seemed to understand. He clipped them back and proceeded to do so until his hair wasn’t in his way anymore. Kei watched him mesmerized.

“Ohoho, who’re you checking out over there?”

Kei almost dropped the stapler in his hand. “Kuroo, I swear to god, stop doing that all of the time.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about? What am I doing?” He gave him a sheepish smile. “I know that you’d love to stay longer to make eyes at that pretty boy over there but I just came back from the grocery store with your lunch. I left it in the staff room for you.”

“Ah, thanks. Tomorrow is my turn, I’ll feel bad if you’re always the one that heads over there.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine.” Kuroo waved one hand in the air, dismissively. “Go and have your lunch.”

Kei rolled his eyes but deep down inside he felt pretty lucky to be able to call Kuroo Tetsurou his best friend. He had never found another person that had been willing to walk all the way to his place in the middle of the night because he was sick and too weak to make himself some food.

Kei picked up the top layer of his sandwich. No pickles, once again. The store usually only served premade sandwiches which all contained pickles. Kei didn’t like them but he never complained about it and simply removed them. Kuroo always asked the staff if they could make a fresh one without pickles. Kei kept insisting that it wasn’t necessary to do that but he did like the sandwiches a lot better without the pickles. The pickle juice made everything taste like pickle, even if he removed them. He’d better walk over there tomorrow and get Kuroo the best food he can find.

 

Tadashi sat up with a jolt, the feeling that he had forgotten about something making him awake again. He rubbed his tired eyes but to his surprise they weren’t blinded by bright daylight. The library was dimly lit and a glance out of the window told him that it had to be late.

He only wanted to take a short break and nap for five minutes. His head hurt.

“So you’re finally awake?”  Tsukishima sat on the other side of his table, a newspaper in his hands. “I hope it wasn’t a mistake to let you sleep.”

“Oh, I didn’t keep you here, did I?” It was one hour past the library’s closing time. “I’m sorry about that, you should’ve woken me up.”

Tsukishima shook his head. “I always read the newspaper after work, if I do that here or at home doesn’t make much of a difference to me.”

“No, I’m sure you’ve got other things to do and I don’t want to keep you from that. I’ll leave in a minute.” Tadashi started to pack his bag in haste. He felt bad for Tsukishima, he knew that he’d be annoyed if someone forced him to stay behind after a long day of work. He did wish he would’ve had time to study some more but he closed the book with a wistful expression. He heard Tsukishima exhale.

“We can stay a bit longer if you need more time to study”, he said. “I didn’t want to take some of your study time away but you looked exhausted. You should get some rest.”

“I know. I’m going to wrap this chapter up so would thirty minutes be alright?”

Tsukishima nodded and Tadashi started working. He felt drowsy because he must’ve been asleep for over an hour but now that Tsukishima offered to wait for him he couldn’t waste his time.

At first he felt watched but every time he glanced up Tsukishima was busy reading the newspaper. His apprehension slowly decreased and he finished the chapter he had been working on off. Tadashi could still do the revising at home, important was to get done what he couldn’t accomplish without the book.

He leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms after he was done.

“You’re finished?” Tsukishima asked and glanced up from the newspaper.

“Yeah, I’m ready to go. Thank you again for doing this.”

Tsukishima laughed. “It’s alright. It’s refreshing to see someone else work hard, university students don’t come here often. “

Tadashi watched him laugh and he remembered that he should actually start packing up instead of staring at him.

“I hope you don’t my curiosity but you’re a biology student, right?”

“Marine biology. I already have my bachelor degree.” Tadashi gathered his water bottle and note book. “It’s a lot more interesting than most people think.”

“No, I can imagine that it has a lot to offer once you get into it. Do you already know what you want to do with that in the future? This town doesn’t have any sea access.”

Now it was Yamaguchi’s turn to laugh. He had gotten that question more often than he could count. “You’re not the first person to point that out but I don’t mind. I probably won’t find something in this town but I want to experience the marine life first hand so I want to live somewhere close to the sea. I’ll find something, somewhere out there in this exact moment there’s going to be a person that wished they had a marine biologist to consult.”

“If you say it like that then I’m sure there is.” Tsukishima said while he folded the newspaper up.

“What about you?”

“Huh?”

“Are you specialized in something? Most of our librarians have a field that they majored in so they know best about that.”

“I’m responsible for history. But I didn’t go to university so I’m probably not as familiar with it like _your_ librarians are.” Tsukishima’s voice had a sharp edge to it.

“Oh, I didn’t want to imply that.” Tadashi panicked inwardly. He should’ve phrased that sentence differently. “History is pretty cool, there are so many eras that are completely different from each other.”

Tsukishima smiled again but this time it didn’t reach his eyes. “History might be interesting but isn’t it completely useless? Nobody has a need for unimportant events from the past.” He got up from his chair. “I’m going to switch off the light now so you better get going as well. Get some rest.”

“I will try my best to do that. I hope you have a nice evening.”

Tadashi didn’t dare to say anything, he must’ve stumbled across a sensitive topic. He had sounded so bitter, Tadashi imagined that someone else had said those exact words to him.

 

Kei didn’t sleep well that night. He was lying in bed, feeling his heart beat and his palms getting sweaty just at the mere thought of his memories. The lecture hall was filled to the brim with students. Their chattering and laughing was still engrained in Kei’s mind.

One memory pushed itself into the foreground and Kei couldn’t do anything but relive it like he had done so many times. He was sitting at the library, working on an excerpt for a class. His seat felt uncomfortable, old and worn down from the many students that had sat on it previously. The books had torn pages and stains from careless previous owners. Kei felt like he was underwater, part of a shoal of fish. One irrelevant, tiny fish in the mass of hundreds or thousands, not one single feature to distinct him from the ones before him or the ones yet to come. His hands were trembling and he felt like someone was holding his windpipe between two fingers, pressing it closer and closer until he couldn’t force air down into his lungs anymore.

 If it weren’t for a nearby student that reacted quickly he would’ve fainted from hyperventilation. He thanked them for their help and left, he was in such a rush he couldn’t even remember their faces. It was the last time he had set foot in a university building.

Kei pushed the blanket to the side, feeling hot and uneasy. Four years had passed and that day still haunted him.

 

Tadashi pushed the door to the library open in a slow motion, balancing two cups of coffee in one hand. Today he was earlier than usual, he only had two days left to study so he had to give it his best.

At the counter he didn’t see Tsukishima but his co-worker with the wild hair. He wasn’t easy to forget with his hair sticking up in every direction.

“Hey! I’m looking for Tsukishima, is he not here today?”

“He’s here, probably sorting some books back in right now. I’m Kuroo and today I’m working at the counter. Let me know if you need anything.” He was slouching over the counter, a lazy smile on his face.

“Oh, then could you give this coffee to Tsukishima? You know better where to find him than me, tell him it’s a thank you for staying behind yesterday.” Yamaguchi handed him one of the two coffee cups.

Kuroo nodded. “I’ll bring it to him.”

“Thank you”, Yamaguchi smiled. Kuroo brought him his book and left afterwards with the coffee in his hands.

 

Kei rubbed his temples. Along with his lack of sleep had come a painful headache. He should be sorting books back into the shelves but he allowed himself to take a short break. Nobody would notice it if he took a short nap. He could lie down and rest his tired body for a few minutes. Kei yawned. Had the library floor always looked this inviting?

“Tsukki?”

He peeked his head out between the bookshelves. “I’m here.”

Kuroo came around the corner, a cup of coffee in his hands. “Here, I’m supposed to bring this to you. It’s from Freckles, he wants to say thanks because you kept the library open longer for him.” Kuroo raised an eyebrow while he handed the cup to Kei.

“Thanks, that’s exactly what I –“ Kei stopped and shook the cup slowly, then he opened the lid. “Why is half of it gone already?”

“Sharing is caring, right?”

Kei made a face but drank the remaining coffee. “His name is Yamaguchi.”

“Did you figure that out while you had a long, deep conversation yesterday after the library closed?” Kuroo wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

“Actually, I didn’t. He signed up and I remembered his name.”  Kei shrugged and played with the lid of the cup.  

“Sure. On another note, you look pale. Did you stay up late yesterday?” Kuroo looked concerned.

 “I had trouble falling asleep.”

“Again?” Kuroo knew already what Kei was trying to say. He was the one that had helped him to get a job at the library after he quit university overnight.

Kei nodded in defeat.

“You can leave early today if you want to. You close up most of the time so go home and get some rest.”

“Thanks, I think I should better do that. Did the new books arrive yet? “

“Yeah, the delivery service brought them about an hour ago.”

Kei tagged along with Kuroo to the counter, he was always the one that did a check on the new books. It was his favourite part of work to be the first one to open a book and let his fingers run over the imprinted words. He was always gentle when handling the books so they would’ve been treated with care at least once before they would be put in the library.

Yamaguchi was sitting at the same table, as per usual. Kei shouldn’t be thinking that. He was only here for that one book and he wouldn’t need to come back after his exam would be over. For a moment Kei found himself hoping that he failed and had to come here again but he wouldn’t go as far as to wish for that.

He watched him bite the end of his pen while he waited for Kuroo to bring the books over.

“If you don’t ask him out I will do it for you”, Kuroo said when he returned.

“Don’t you dare. He’s only here for the book, wouldn’t you feel awkward when all you came here for was to study and some creepy librarian saw that as an invitation to chat you up.”

Kuroo shrugged. “So if he comes back even after that you know he isn’t only interested in the books.”

Kei shook his head at that assumption. He started to unpack the first book, one of the many more he would label that day.

 

Tadashi put his face against his palms. What was he doing? He had written his exam a week ago, it had gone well and he had a lot of free time until his next exam yet he was here at the library again.

“Yamaguchi, I still don’t understand why we’re doing this?”

Ennoshita was the unfortunate soul that Tadashi had dragged with him because he couldn’t think of a reason to come here again.

“Please, just do me this one favour”, he whispered while they walked up to the counter. Tsukishima was there, just like Tadashi had hoped.

“Hello, how can I help you?” he asked and gave Tadashi a recognizing smile.

“Hey, my friend here is looking for a book.” He pointed at Ennoshita. “Go on, tell him what kind of book you need.”

“Oh, well...it’s a book about...types of saltwater algae”, Ennoshita said. “I don’t have a particular book in mind, if you could recommend one I’d be happy to take that.”

Tsukishima looked some books up and printed him a list of the first three hits he got. “Do you still remember where the biology section is?” He directed that question at Tadashi, who nodded in response.

“Saltwater algae, seriously?” Tadashi asked as soon as they were out of Tsukishima’s field of vision.

Ennoshita raised his hands in defence. “I panicked and I picked the first thing that came into my mind. Now what am I supposed to do with this?”

“Sit down and act like you’re looking something up for ten minutes or so.”

“Was that the librarian? The one you want to ask out?”

Tadashi nodded, a slight blush on his cheeks. “I mean, it’s worth a try. I won’t need to come back here so I won’t be running into him again if he says no.”

Tadashi urged Ennoshita to sit down at a table and walked up to Tsukishima. He tried to be casual but he wasn’t sure if Tsukishima could tell how nervous he actually was.

“Hey”, he repeated from before. “I did great at the exam, that book really saved my live.”

“I’m glad to hear that”, Tsukishima said. He nodded towards Ennoshita. “Is he a uni colleague of yours?”

“Yeah, you could say that.” Tadashi was still waiting for the perfect moment to ask him for a date. He really should have thought of a plan beforehand. “So...How was your weekend?”

“I didn’t do anything particular. Read a bit, cleaned the apartment, did some laundry...What about you?”

Tadashi imagined that Tsukishima’s apartment was in a minimalistic style, not a speck of dust anywhere. His own flat was always getting progressively messier the closer an exam came. “I went to the aquarium because they got some new starfish last week and I haven’t had the chance to look at them yet.”

“That place still exists? I haven’t been to the aquarium in fifteen years.”

Tadashi looked at him with big eyes. “You haven’t been there for so long? It’s amazing, they renovated everything and even expanded the area. Are you free this weekend, I could show you around if you want to?”

“I don’t have anything planned yet, would Saturday be alright for you?” Tsukishima had a neutral expression that made it almost impossible for Tadashi to read something into. Did that count as a date?

“Sure. Let’s exchange phone numbers in case something comes up, alright?” Tadashi’s voice was steady but his hands were trembling slightly while he took Tsukishima’s phone and typed his number in. His self-control was even more tested when he saw the cute dinosaur drawing Tsukishima used as wallpaper.

“I just sent you a message”, he said after Tadashi handed him the phone back.

“So, see you on Saturday?”

Tsukishima nodded. “See you.”

 

Kei checked his reflection in the window of a department store. Everything was still in place, he didn’t have a stain on his clothes that he didn’t notice at first and his fly wasn’t unzipped. It had been a while since he had last been on a date, especially to such a cheesy location for a first date. At least he thought it was a date, Yamaguchi looked like the type of person that would drag anyone to the aquarium if they said they hadn’t been there for a while. Where fish really that great?

Yamaguchi was already waiting for him even though he was ten minutes early.

“You’re early.” Yamaguchi said after Kei arrived. He gave him a bright smile that caused a flush of warmth to spread throughout Kei’s body.

Kei raised an eyebrow. “So are you.”

“I invited you so it’s only natural that I’m here early.”

Kei shifted weight from one foot to another. “There’s something I have to ask.”

Yamaguchi gave him a curious look. Kei hesitated. He was not one to get flustered easily but even he got embarrassed by asking such a direct question.

“This is a date, right? I’d rather ask right now than have it be a misunderstanding later on.” Kei wasn’t sure where to look.

“N-no, this isn’t a misunderstanding. It’s a date.” Yamaguchi’s face was red as a tomato. “I’m glad we’re on the same page, I wasn’t sure how you feel about this either.”

Kei felt a wave of relief. Yamaguchi was just as nervous as he was. What were they, high schoolers? He smiled.

They walked inside but when Kei wanted to buy a ticket Yamaguchi handed him one. “I already bought a ticket for you, it’s my treat because I have an annual pass.”

“Thank you for the ticket. How often exactly do you go to the aquarium?”

“A few times more often than the average person”, Yamaguchi smiled sheepishly. “I didn’t lie when I said I was going to give you a tour.”

 

The aquarium had five different floors. Kei couldn’t recognize anything, they really renovated completely, just like Yamaguchi had promised.

On the first floor they had a lot of smaller tanks. Countless numbers of tiny fish swam around, some so fast that Kei could only make out their shapes and colours.

Another tank reached from the floor to the top of the ceiling. It contained a gigantic coral reef with an uncountable number of fish. The many different colours and layers of the organisms created a landscape so complex and dynamic while the reflections of the water softened the image. No matter where his gaze reached, he would find a small fish or perhaps a crab, even tiny sea shells. They hid in the small nooks and crannies of the anemones and sometimes peeked their head out. His heart almost stopped when he got close to look at a fish only to see the moraine behind it just inches away from his face. Yamaguchi laughed at that but they continued to look at that aquarium for a few more minutes.

“Coral reefs are usually around 6000 years old, it takes them a long time to grow that large. These ones aren’t that old, the conditions here are a lot better for them than normally so they grow quicker”, Yamaguchi explained. “A lot of them are harvested for jewellery or are destroyed by fishing devices because a lot of fish hide in them. It takes them hundreds of years to recover from that damage. Aren’t they amazing, persevering for such a long time?”

Kei nodded. “They really are beautiful.”

“I have something great to show you next. “ Yamaguchi led him to a door which had _‘Staff only’_ written on it.

“Eh, I’m not sure we should be going in there.” Kei objected. They couldn’t just walk in there. They weren’t authorized personnel.

Yamaguchi took his hand and dragged him along. “It’s fine, don’t worry about it.” He opened the door and led Kei in another room full of fish tanks. Here was probably the place fish got treated when they were sick or new ones arrived, Kei assumed.

A staff member was tending to some fish in a tank. He turned around upon hearing them enter and Kei thought this was the moment they would be kicked out of the aquarium but it turned out to be the friend that had accompanied Yamaguchi to the library.

“Yamaguchi, you’re earlier than I expected. “ He smiled and introduced himself to Kei. “My name’s Ennoshita Chikara, nice to see you again.”

“Tsukishima Kei, the pleasure is mine. “ Kei shook his hand, realizing too late that it had been completely wet.

“I have something amazing to show you.” Ennoshita closed the fish tank and led them to another one. “You have to come closer slowly, if you make rapid movements they’ll hide right away.”

Kei wanted to move aside so Yamaguchi could go first but he received a small push from behind, telling him to move forward instead. “I’ve already seen them once, you should have a look first.”

He probably looked ridiculous, being very tall he had to crouch down to have a peek inside the tank. Inside where dozens of young seahorses, so small they would all fit in Kei’s palm.

 “They hatched a few days ago. Most fish don’t nurture their young ones so we keep them here until they are strong enough to be released into their fish tank”, Ennoshita said. “You can both stay for as long as you want. Yamaguchi, could you quickly help me with something over here?”

They left Kei with the seahorses and walked over to the tank Ennoshita was previously working on. Kei watched the tiny seahorses float around for a minute before turning his attention to them. Yamaguchi had his sleeves rolled up and bit his lower lip in concentration. He was holding a fish of roughly the size of an eggplant while Ennoshita tried to stuff something in its mouth. Kei stared at him as his eyes lit up with intensity, strands of hair hanging in his face. He could see the muscles flex at his arms as he held the fish down. This was the first time he saw Yamaguchi with such a concentrated expression and he had trouble not to stare.

Eventually Ennoshita had pried the fish’s mouth open and forced probably some medicine down.

Yamaguchi let out a triumphant ‘Yes!’ and wiped his bangs to the side with his upper arms. “It was struggling so much, I thought I would crush it. Do you always do this on your own?”

Ennoshita nodded while they both washed their hands. “I always capture it first but it’s easier this way, I don’t have to worry about accidently hurting the fish.” He must’ve noticed Kei’s gaze on Yamaguchi. “Thanks for helping me out but I didn’t want to disturb you two so please go on.”

He insisted for them to leave, saying he was only bothering them.

“Ennoshita was my senior at uni, he started permanently working here last year.” Yamaguchi said. “Next here we have the butterfly house. It was only added recently. Tsukishima, are you alright?”

Kei nodded, tearing his eyes away from Yamaguchi’s face. “Yes, I’m fine. Let’s go!”

Kei’s excitement about the butterfly house lasted for about 0.2 seconds. His glasses fogged up as soon as he set one foot into the humid greenhouse. He had to take them off so everything was blurred for him. His shirt was a soft shade of orange, which apparently attracted every single butterfly in sight. Yamaguchi took a picture of him while he was covered in butterflies, too scared to move his arms in fear of crushing one of them. Other people started to gather around and Kei heard a little girl ask her mother if he had superpowers and could call animals. In the end Yamaguchi had to handpick them off of him and set them down on nearby plants. 

“Sorry, Tsukki!” Yamaguchi laughed as he looked at the picture of him again. They had escaped the butterfly house and wandered around the next floor. “I can call you Tsukki, right?”

Kei adjusted his glasses, hoping to hide his flushed cheeks in the process. “Yes, you can. Don’t ask something like that.”

They skipped the next floor, according to Yamaguchi it was something to keep until the end. At the top floor they had the most impressive sea creatures. Sharks, turtles, tropical fish. The gigantic tank had orbs that bulged into the water, if you leaned forward you were surrounded by the fish. Kei watched them for a bit while Yamaguchi went and got them some drinks and snacks from the shop.

When he returned he declared that it was time to go to the floor they had left out before.

“This floor is pretty new as well, it’s my favourite one of all of them”, Yamaguchi said while they walked the stairs down again.

They had to follow a short corridor before they arrived at the actual room. There was no lighting, it was pitch black. The only thing illuminating the room were bioluminescent jellyfish that gave off a glowing blue light. The tank surrounded the room and the reflections against the glass immersed it into dark hues of blue. Kei watched the jellyfish float around in awe, only their silhouettes visible.

“It’s amazing, right?” Yamaguchi asked and motioned for Kei to sit down at the bench in the middle of the room.

“It’s really beautiful”, Kei agreed, his eyes still on the jellyfish.

They sat down and Yamaguchi handed Kei one of the snacks he had picked up before. They sat and ate in silence, admiring the breathtaking view.

“I always help out as a guide in summer so sometimes when I got here to early I would sit in here and watch them until my shift started.” Yamaguchi spoke quietly, it was almost a whisper.

Kei didn’t dare to break the atmosphere so he was speaking just as softly. “You put a lot of effort into this.”

“Into this date?”

“No, into your field of study. You came all the way to our library just for that one book. You work here in summer and you know so much about fish.”

“Isn’t that only natural? And I study marine biology, how is it possible to not know a lot about marine life?”

Kei let out a bitter laugh. “There are so many people with a degree that have not a single clue about their fields.” He folded his hands together in front of his body. He never mentioned his university career to anyone but he wanted to tell Yamaguchi. Kei didn’t know where this strange sensation had come from but he trusted Yamaguchi. He had a calm aura around him, something that told him he would understand. “I wasn’t completely truthful about something. I did go to university. I just never finished.”

It was silent for a moment. Yamaguchi didn’t look surprised or shocked, he gave him an encouraging nod and waited for him to go on.

“There isn’t much to say. I was studying history and wanted to specialize in prehistory but I was overwhelmed by the number of students we were. There was never going to be a need for that many historians and I felt like I was putting work into something that was already prone to fail from the start. So I quit.” Kei was surprised by how easy it was for him to tell all of this. “I didn’t know what else I wanted to do and eventually Kuroo helped me to get a job at the library. “

“That’s alright”, Yamaguchi whispered and leaned his head against Kei’s shoulder.

“What?”

Yamaguchi smiled and Kei could feel his heart beat faster. “Did you expect me to tell you that I’m disappointed? Or that I’d think you gave up and ran away?”

“Well, yeah.”

“It’s not easy to focus all of your energy on one task despite knowing that it might not work out. I often hate all of this”, he gestured through the room”, even though it’s my passion. It takes courage to choose this path instead of a rational one and study something more convenient. Of course I’m going to tell you that all of the effort is worth it, but you have to decide that on your own. “

Kei listened to his soft voice and he felt a weight being lifted from his shoulders.

“You can always change that decision, you could enrol again next week, next month, in a few years. Whenever you feel ready to give it another shot.”

“I guess you’re right.”

Kei was lost in thoughts while he watched the jellyfish. Yamaguchi had seen right through him. He watched a jellyfish swim around in zigzag motions, focused on the glowing rim around it.

 

Tadashi had trouble thinking straight. He wanted to wrap his arms around Tsukki and hug him, but he also didn’t want to ruin the mood. Maybe just a little bit. All he needed to do was to lift his head and put his arms around him.

“Yamaguchi?” Tsukki’s voice sounded questioning.

Tadashi raised his head to have a better look at his face. Only then did he realize how close they were together. Tsukki was about to close the distance between the two of them, and Tadashi wouldn’t have minded in the least, when the loud voice of the little girl from before echoed through the corridor.

They both backed up, startled. “I think we shouldn’t be doing this here.” Yamaguchi laughed in embarrassment. Luckily it was dark so Tsukki couldn’t see that his entire face was beet red.

They gathered the wrappers of the snacks and walked outside, an awkward atmosphere surrounding them.

“So, that was the aquarium...I hope you had fun”, Tadashi said as they stood outside.

“I enjoyed myself a lot more than I thought I would. Maybe we could meet some time again, if you would want that?” Tsukki looked at him expectantly.

“I’d love to.”

“Then we’ll just text each other about the details?”

Tadashi nodded.

“Good, then see you, I suppose.”

Tsukki leaned closer to him. Was he going for a hug or a kiss? He couldn’t tell. Tadashi panicked. He seemed to move on his own because he pulled Tsukki closer and pressed their lips together. It was nothing more than a small peck but Tsukki looked at him with big eyes after he pulled away.

“I’ll call you.” Tadashi grinned because he had managed to catch Tsukki off guard. He waved while he walked away, trying hard not to laugh at his dumbfounded expression.

He would’ve never expected that a visit at the library would be the start of something new.

 


End file.
